The Cheater
by Fllorence
Summary: AH/AU. One-shot. Damon and Elena discover their lives are made of perfection and lies. Will they make it out alive or burn in the process?


**_A/N: Hello people! This is a one-shot with Elena and Damon as the main characters. The story came to me one day after listening to Sam Smith's song I'm Not The Only One and then watching its music video. The beginning is very similar to it, I got highly inspired by its story and vibes, but the rest is only my imagination. I hope you'll like it and please leave me a review, because I highly honor and love all of your thoughts and emotions that my stories evoke in you._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except my own soul that loves to create words like those below._**

* * *

 _You and me, we made a vow_

 _For better or for worse_

 _I can't believe you let me down_

 _But the proof's in a way it hurts_

I know that he's cheating on me.

 _God_ , I've known it for six months now.

Six months of utter agony. Six months of lies, fake kisses and forced smiles. Six months of being caged in a relationship with no future.

Six months of waking up and trying not to give everything up.

My friend Caroline always tells me that I am just too nice and sweet; that I should be honest with others and do what I really want to do.

Maybe she's right.

Maybe I should have left Liam the moment I discovered that he had cheated on me.

It was one of those beautiful, summer days. The sun was shining, birds were singing and we had our very first wedding anniversary. I woke up sooner than normally, wanting to prepare a perfect breakfast for my perfect husband. Everything went as usual; I was done before Liam finished showering and went to help him pick up dress for work. When I took one of his white shirts into my hands, I found it.

Red lipstick.

Suddenly all little details connected together.

Like, why we had stopped having sex in the morning and why he had always been so tired when he came home from work.

Why he had stopped kissing me before leaving for work.

Why he had stopped telling me 'I love you'.

And why I had been in denial.

I didn't confront him that day. I did what I thought would be the best: I acted like everything was fine.

The same morning he gave me a box of chocolate and kissed me on my cheek.

I thanked him for saving my life three years ago; for offering me a job in his company and then also a place in his heart.

He nodded, noticing tears in my eyes. "Don't cry," he said before leaving.

His breakfast stayed untouched on our kitchen table.

Since that day I have been the perfect wife for Liam, always preparing breakfast, cooking lunch and dinner, baking cookies, washing his clothes, accompanying him at business parties, telling everyone how amazing he is and never looking less good than the day he married me.

Two months ago I even went out shopping and bought new lingerie only for him. I was so excited that I wore it in the evening and waited for him on the top of our bed, hot and ready to save our marriage.

He wanted to go to sleep, telling me that he was tired and didn't have time for things like that, but then he heard me sobbing into my pillow and turned me around, kissing me softly. I moaned and pushed myself into his body. He understood my message and without any preparation thrusted into me, crushing our lower bodies together.

He was rough and I was letting him use me. I wanted to make him feel good. I wanted to punish myself for not being enough. I wanted to save our marriage.

But then I smelled it.

Her perfume. All over his body.

I wanted to stop. He didn't let me.

He came with a long shout.

I fell asleep with tears running down my face.

I haven't let him use me since that evening.

I should have walked away the next morning.

However, I didn't have anywhere to go. I didn't have anyone to help me pack my things. I didn't have a friend to support me, because nobody could know. So, I decided to wait.

And I waited.

And waited.

Until he told me the only one thing I just couldn't stand.

 _You are nothing without me._

It wasn't even an argument. He was making a joke after I said that I would like to go for a trip with Caroline. He couldn't stand me being away. And I finally, finally realized how deeply manipulated I had been since our relationship started.

That was this morning.

 _For months on end I've had my doubts_

 _Denying every tear_

 _I wish this would be over now_

 _But I know that I still need you here_

I am sitting now in our kitchen, staring at his untouched breakfast and crying over my pitiful life.

What did happen to me? When? Why?

Where did my soul go? My passion? My freedom? My emotions?

When did I stop loving myself? When did I start thinking that I am not enough? That I don't deserve to go for my dreams and visions? That I don't deserve to have a husband that would truly love me?

Four hours and a few glasses of expensive champagne later, I throw Liam's breakfast against our perfect white wall and collapse on the floor, screaming and laughing and crying.

I know he's with her right now. He doesn't usually work on Saturdays, but he told me yesterday that he would need to stop by his company and finish something.

Yes, of course, he needs to _finish_ his secretary.

"I hate you," I whisper, not knowing if it is aimed at Liam or me.

My phone rings and I know it's him. He's going to tell me that he won't make it home for dinner. He's going to remind me that I am living a life full of lies.

The insistent ringing pushes me into action. I grab my keys and drive to the nearest shop. People watch me with curiosity. The combination of my face with smeared make-up and my white dress stained with champagne and strawberry jam must look horrible, but for the first time in the past three years I finally feel like my life is in my hands.

I buy three small containers with gasoline, those that are normally used for lawn mowers and so on, and a packet of the most expensive cigarettes. When I get back home, I go straight to our bedroom.

Instead of grabbing his expensive suits, I take all my clothes and throw them on a pile in our garden. With my old cigarette lighter and the help of gasoline, I set everything on fire. Then I put a cigarette in my mouth, light it up and watch over the flames while holding onto the fire extinguisher that I found in our kitchen.

I continue burning my old life until I hear his footsteps behind my back.

"What are you doing?!" he shouts, trying to extinguish the fire burning in front of me. "Are you crazy?!"

I smile. "This is a perfect imagine of our perfect marriage."

"What?!"

His hair is disheveled, eyes angry and suit crumpled.

"When you told me this morning that I am nothing without you," I begin my prepared speech, "I decided to give you exactly that. Nothing."

"I don't understand you! What happened to you?!" he screams and walks towards me, grabbing my shoulders and shaking with me.

" _You_ happened to me," I answer as I take a step back. "And the life you made for me."

I take a deep breath and prepare for the final note.

"I am clearly not enough for you, Liam. I cannot continue lying to myself. I hate who I am and I hate my life. I want to be myself again. I want to be free. And I want to make you happy."

"Make _me_ happy? What are you talking about?"

I walk towards him and put my wedding ring into his hand. "I am not your wife anymore. Those things in that fire are more your wife than I can ever be. I thought that I would be happy with boxes of chocolate and secret affairs of my husband. But I am not."

"Affairs?" he questions with shock written all over his face. "How… how do you know?"

"I know because I feel, Liam. Because you asked for my love. You only wanted a wife in perfect dress and with perfect cooking skills. But, just so you know, perfect is pretty fucked up. And I think you know it. That's why you're looking for something else."

"Please, Elena-"

"Don't bother. I am done here." I lean towards him and kiss him on his cheek, cringing slightly when I smell her perfume. "I'll send you divorce papers after I settle down somewhere. I am taking your car, but I'll leave it at the airport. Goodbye."

I go back into the house and take my purse and passport. The ride to the airport is pleasant; I roll down all the windows and listen to my favorite music.

Everything is so bittersweet, yet I feel free.

No more waiting. No more lies. No more perfection.

Just me.

 _I have loved you for many years_

 _Maybe I am just not enough_

 _You've made me realize my deepest fear_

 _By lying and tearing us up_

* * *

"What happened after that?"

I look up from my drink and smile, gazing into the face of the sweet bartender.

"I sold my mother's diamond ring, bought a plane ticket to Iowa and then rented an apartment here, in Iowa City. My friend Caroline has one of her boutiques here, so she got me a job. I sell clothes that I helped her design. I also enrolled in a community college. My major is creative writing. And now I am here, drinking bourbon after day of work and studies."

I see the question in his face way before he says it aloud. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," I answer without hesitation. "I rule my own life. I struggle and learn and experience new things. Of course, I make mistakes too. But I am not perfect. And that's what I love the most."

Matt, the bartender, smiles widely. "And what about Liam?"

"He hadn't been coping well with the whole thing for the first few months. He'd been devastated. Few weeks ago I sent him the divorce papers and I think that was what he needed to understand his part in our whole story. His family didn't want me to get any money from our divorce, but Liam told his lawyer to give me anything I wanted, even his house or a portion of his company. That's why I am here today, actually. Liam's lawyer is supposed to come and discuss with me our divorce."

"That is awesome Elena," says Matt and I cannot hold back my smile. "You got the best from the worst."

"I got my life back," I add, raising my glass above. Before I get the chance to put it back down, someone taps their glass against mine.

"Congratulations, future Miss Gilbert."

"Thank you, Mr. Salvatore."

He's the same as I remember him. Beautiful face and strong body, normally covered in suit, but today he's surprisingly wearing jeans with a dark blue shirt that goes together with his deep and incredibly blue eyes. He has probably stopped coloring his hair. It's not distinctly black anymore, but it has its natural, dark brown. His hands are holding some files, probably my divorce papers, and he's also wearing glasses.

"Do I look good?" he asks in a teasing tone, not hiding his satisfaction that I had to ogle him.

"Where did you forget your business look, Mr. Salvatore?" I ask, genuinely surprised by his total makeover.

He smirks. _That_ certainly hasn't changed.

"I've also changed a few things in my life."

Suddenly, my smile fades. "I am sorry about Andy."

Though his expression gets bittersweet, his words are calm. "Totally not your fault, Elena."

"I know, but…"

"You know what? I am not sorry about Liam. You shouldn't be sorry about Andy, either. They chose this route themselves."

I nod, getting lost in his beautiful eyes.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he whispers as he leans closer to me. "The Iowa look suits you very well."

"What do you do now? Why are you here? I thought you said to Liam that you didn't want to be his lawyer anymore."

He takes my hand in his, slowly stroking my skin. My breathing increases. It's been almost a whole year since someone touched me like that.

"I wanted to be here when you finally sign those papers."

"So, you don't work for Liam anymore?"

"This is the last thing I am doing for him."

"You wear glasses," I point out in hopes to take my mind off the way his thumb grazes my fingers again and again.

And again.

"You wear your hair in a messy bun. And I also need to say that the jeans and baggy t-shirt combination is way better than all those dresses you had worn before."

"I'd burned them," I state proudly.

"I know," he sighs. "Liam called me after you drove away and told me everything. I stormed out of there… and tried to get to you."

"Why?"

His hand drops mine and the immediate feeling of loss makes me frown. He takes a few sips from his drink and stares in front of him. "I kind of thought that we were in it together. I needed someone to understand what I was feeling in that moment. The only person on my mind was you. But when I got to the airport, your plane was just departing."

"You knew where I was going?"

"You once told me that your parents took you to Iowa when you were just a kid and you hated the whole trip, because Caroline wasn't there with you and you were so bored…"

"…but now it's one of my most cherished memories," I finish for him.

My heart pounds loudly in my chest.

 _He remembers._

I take his chin and turn his face towards me. "I am so sorry that I hadn't told you anything."

He takes my hand off his face and smiles. "After all those months, you needed a break. And I did too. Everything with Liam and Andy happened for a reason, Elena."

I nod, thinking that without Liam I would never gather up enough strength to finally stand up and live on my own. And, as I watch Damon drinking his bourbon and looking so carefree, I catch myself thanking my soon-to-be-former husband for inviting his 28-year-old, blue eyed lawyer to one of our great parties…

 _You say I'm crazy_

 _'Cause you don't think I know what you've done_

 _But when you call me baby_

 _I know I'm not the only one_

 _"_ _This is such a beautiful garden party, Elena," says Andy Starr, my husband's gorgeous secretary, while a male bartender gives both of us full glasses of champagne. "I cannot be thankful enough to you and Liam for inviting us."_

 _"_ _Us?" I ask, not fully understanding what she means. Since she arrived a few hours ago, she hasn't left Liam's side, talking with his colleagues and our friends, while I, his wife and supposed love of his life, am organizing bartenders and secretly eating all the prepared food that nobody hasn't touched yet and probably even never will._

 _"_ _Me and Damon, my boyfriend."_

 _She has a boyfriend? "You have a boyfriend?"_

 _Andy smiles in that breathtaking, model-like way and brings her hand towards my face. There, on her ring-finger, is a beautifully shaped diamond ring, smaller and more delicate than the one I have, but it screams love and tells you a story of man who spent long months of his life looking for it._

 _"_ _Actually, he's my fiancé," she corrects herself and lowers her hand. "We've been engaged for a week now. I can't get used to calling him that way."_

 _"_ _I understand," I say, lying. "That happens."_

 _Her long legs shift and she probably senses that I don't like her. She's been Liam's secretary for three whole months, but this is actually the first time I get a chance to talk with her without the presence of my husband._

 _I am not usually jealous or possessive, but the way Andy looks and dresses and acts towards Liam makes me feel highly insecure. Even knowing that she has a fiancé doesn't help to ease the tension. I am still not as perfect and gorgeous and educated as she has to be._

 _"_ _Anyway, I'll head back to Liam," she says and looks over her shoulder. I see my husband talking to a few men in suits. "The guys cannot seem to stop doing their business."_

 _I smile and watch as she walks back to Liam. He touches her bare shoulder and hugs her waist briefly. I cannot help but think that I am supposed to be there instead of Andy._

 _"_ _Mrs. Davis?"_

 _My thoughts are stopped when a young man dressed in black suit steps closer to me. His blue eyes create a contrast with his onyx, short hair and pale skin. It's clear to me that he spends the majority of his time hidden in his office, not getting a chance to rest or sleep properly. He's very handsome, though, probably the same age as Liam._

 _"_ _I am Damon Salvatore, your husband's lawyer."_

 _He smiles at me widely and I watch as his soul wakes up and speaks to me through his whole body, nudging my own_ me _to do something._

 _I offer my hand to him. "Elena Davis, my husband's wife."_

 _"_ _And a really beautiful and talented woman," he adds as he takes my hand and lifts it to his mouth, delicately grazing my knuckles with his soft lips._

 _I blush and feel goosebumps rising all over my upper body. It has been years since a man evoked a reaction like that from me. When he lets go of my hand, I smooth out my blue dress, remembering the insecurity from before._

 _"_ _I see you've met my future wife Andy."_

 _"_ _And I see that you don't enjoy talking about business."_

 _He chuckles. "Well, I know that someone did a great job on organizing this party and want to properly enjoy it."_

 _"_ _Your future wife doesn't share the same opinion?" I ask in hopes to calm down my own worries._

 _Damon glances towards Andy, who is currently laughing at some joke Liam made, and then looks back to me. "She is very grateful to your husband for giving her the job."_

 _I frown in confusion. "What? I don't understand."_

 _"_ _Andy is a former model," he answers as we start walking around our garden. "She had to give up her profession, because we had moved here. I asked your husband a few months back if he could give Andy a job in his company."_

 _Jealousy burns inside my chest like a fire. I've wanted to work in Liam's company again for such a long time; to finally get out of our house and start doing something productive, so I could be proud of myself once again. However, every time I asked Liam to help me find something, he always said that there is no place for women in his company – especially not for women without further education._

 _"_ _Liam is very kind," I whisper finally and take a sip from my still present glass._

 _Another evening spent in company of champagne._

 _I almost forget that Damon is beside me, but then he briefly touches my shoulder and forces me to look up into his beautiful face and questioning gaze. "Is something wrong, Mrs. Davis? Should I bring you some water? Do you want to sit?"_

 _"_ _I am just bored."_

 _Instead of being offended, Damon laughs wholeheartedly. "And clearly honest."_

 _"_ _Do you ever…"_

 _"_ _Feel this way?" he asks. I nod. "Yes. All the time, actually. Andy is better with people than me."_

 _I smile at him. "I enjoy talking with you."_

 _"_ _Does it have anything to do with my gorgeous looks?"_

 _"_ _Maybe."_

 _He smiles too, and then looks up into the sky. "Today is a beautiful day. It's a shame we cannot spend it in other way."_

 _I watch his beauty and feel the foreign force again building inside of me and wanting me to connect to this man; his soul and body and even his heart. It's an incredible feeling and I desperately wish to be able to-_

 _"_ _I wish Andy still looked at me like that."_

 _Through the haze of my thoughts I didn't notice that Damon is no more looking at the clouds, but at me. My brain slowly registers his words and I blush, suddenly ashamed of my behavior._

 _I feel his fingers on my chin, lifting it up with care. I watch breathlessly as he moves closer to me, his face now only few inches from mine and his clothed knees touching my bare thighs._

 _"_ _You are so incredibly perfect."_

 _I know the force. I can name it now. I am not afraid._

 _Passion._

 _Lust._

 _He._

 _"_ _I know your husband, Elena," he whispers, "and I know you deserve much more."_

 _I open my mouth, but no words come out. His fingers move to my cheek, touching it and connecting to my skin in a delicately pure way of intimacy. I lift my hand to his and we both gasp as the electricity surges through both of our bodies._

 _"_ _Whatever happens, we will make it out alive, Elena."_

 _"_ _What do you-"_

 _"_ _Your husband is looking for you," he says and steps away, not knowing that his soul has marked me forever._

 _Not knowing that I wish the_ whatever _happened with him._

 _"_ _Elena!"_

 _"_ _I am here," I shout and watch Liam coming over to us._

 _Together with Andy._

 _"_ _Damon, I was looking for you," she says and puts her hands all over his body, obviously marking her own territory._

 _The jealousy I felt while watching her with Liam is now incredibly intense._

 _Liam takes the glass of champagne from my hand, lecturing me with his hard gaze. "I see you've already met Damon."_

 _"_ _Yes, I did."_

 _Damon smirks at me, his sweet persona now hidden under the surface._

 _I remember what he said to me a few moments ago and smile like everything in the world is okay._

 _We will make it out alive._

 _You've been so unavailable_

 _Now sadly I know why_

 _Your heart is unobtainable_

 _Even though Lord knows you kept mine_

"We made it alive," I whisper.

Damon smiles knowingly and drinks up the rest of the bourbon in his glass.

"Ready to sign those papers?" he asks before he takes money from his wallet and throws it on the bar, thanking Matt in the process and gathering up his belongings.

"Absolutely," I answer and follow him out of the bar.

We drive in my car to my apartment and I can't help but feel nervous. My heart is pounding, my hands are sweaty and I try to avoid Damon's gaze as much as I can.

As we climb the steps to my apartment, Damon takes my hand and whirls me around and into his body. I gasp and touch his strong biceps to steady myself.

"I am not Liam," he whispers into my open mouth. "You don't need to hide what you want before me. Talk with me. Tell me what you feel."

"I feel nervous," I say honestly.

His hands hug me to him, tenderly caressing my back. "Why?"

"This is so new to me, Damon," I answer and lower my head to his chest. "For the first time in years I am allowed to do what I want."

"You have nothing to worry about. We move in your pace."

I look back into his face, smiling sweetly at him. "Let's go upstairs. I'll make us coffee."

We end up on my couch with glasses of red wine in our hands, my divorce papers forgotten for now. He hasn't tried anything on me yet. He hasn't even touched me.

"You did know about Liam and Andy before me, did you?"

He looks at me shockingly. "How do you…"

"The party. You said that Liam didn't deserve me. And you were away from Andy the whole evening."

"I am sorry I didn't tell you the truth that day or any day after that," he says sincerely and takes my hand in his.

I smile at him and squeeze his hand, loving the feel of his skin on mine. "It's okay. But… When exactly did you discover what Andy and Liam had been doing?"

"I came to her work one day. She was in his office. And Liam was whispering something to her. I couldn't hear. But I recognized her gaze. It was full of lust."

We both fall silent. Our hands stay joined and it seems like we both mourn over our lost lives.

"It's still not easy," I say lowly after a while, "but I never want to come back."

"To Richmond?"

"To the way things used to be," I answer and look into his eyes. "Liam helped me when my parents died. He was a perfect boyfriend and then a perfect husband. I thought that I owed him, which made him own me and my whole life. I don't want it to happen ever again."

His hand lets go of mine and he scoots closer to me. "Since the day I met you at that party, I haven't stopped thinking of you. You are so beautiful, Elena. And I love all your imperfections."

Tears gather up in my eyes. I touch my forehead to his and lift my left hand to his cheek. "I think I love you," I whisper.

He moans lowly and it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

"And I also think that I want to kiss you," I add, watching his lips and remembering their softness from the moment Damon kissed my hand at the party.

"Kiss me."

I lean in and give him a tender kiss. Then another one. And another.

I cannot get enough of his smooth lips, sweet breath, his passion, lust and the force connecting us together once again and forever.

In one quick move I straddle his waist, effectively throwing both of our glasses with wine on the floor. "You just ruined your rug," he whispers while chuckling.

"I don't care."

I cradle his face in my hands and study through my fingers the whole sculpture of everything that he is. As I delicately take his glasses off and put them on the table behind, I feel his hands moving up and down the length of my thighs.

"I don't know if I am good at this."

Damon's hands suddenly tighten their hold on my thighs and push me closer to him. I momentarily stop breathing when I feel his cock straining against his jeans, throbbing for _me_ and wanting _me_.

Not Andy. Not any other woman. Just me and only me.

"You're perfect at this," he says through a low growl as I press hard against him, enjoying everything he makes me feel. "You make me crazy."

I kiss him again, but now one of his hands holds me to him, deliberately angling my face just the way he wants it. Then I feel his tongue and latch onto it, sucking and tasting and doing everything I can and ever wished to do.

Damon squeezes my backside, making me moan and want to ride him right here on my couch.

" _God_ , Elena," he says breathlessly. "Tell me what you want."

I roll my hips as an answer, moaning his name, which makes him roll me under him on the couch. His hands go under my t-shirt, but he doesn't go any further.

"Say it aloud," he demands, but his expression is soft. "I need to be sure that you are okay with this."

My thighs fall open and I cross my legs against his backside, effectively joining our centers. "I want _you_."

Once he hears my words, his whole body is set free. In a few minutes we both lose almost all of our clothes, safe for my underwear and Damon's jeans, whereupon we decide to go to my bedroom.

He lowers my body onto my mattress, never taking his gaze off my face. Instead of joining me, he slowly takes off his shoes. As his hands finally get to the belt of his jeans, I cannot take it anymore.

I lift myself onto my knees and crawl towards him. Before he gets a chance to utter a word, I take off his belt, throwing it away, then proceed to open his jeans.

"You're so eager," he comments, helping me in getting him rid of his jeans and boxers.

"You blame me?"

We both chuckle and I know that I will remember this moment forever.

I take my bra off and he ogles my upper body, his hands itching to touch me and have me touch him. "Do you want to take my panties off or should I-"

Before I finish my question his body slowly pushes me down while his hands caress my thighs. "Now, Miss Gilbert," he whispers, "should I take your panties off or-"

"Just do it!"

He chuckles again, but then finally lowers my panties down my legs and throws them away.

I keep waiting for him to come up to me, however he never comes. Instead he buries his face in my core, firstly tenderly kissing my sensitive clit and then latching onto it.

I scream and grab his hair, clutching onto him as he makes me feel beautifully sinful things.

"Damon, Damon, Damon…" I moan over and over again, never wanting this feeling to stop. And when he grazes my clit with his teeth and his two fingers push inside of me, I orgasm.

"Heaven," I whimper while coming down from my high.

I see his face above me; his eyes so bright and loving and his smile so perfect that I can't resist but kiss him.

Without any other word, he thrusts up into me, filling me up and kissing my neck to compensate for his roughness. "I love you."

"I love you too," I say, hugging him to me as he begins thrusting up.

My nipples aches from being pressed so hard against his chest and I whimper when he hits my G-spot. I dig my nails into his back, moaning at the perfection that the connection between our bodies creates.

We both come at the same time.

And repeat the process several times throughout the night.

I wake up early in the morning and go searching for my divorce papers in the living room. As I find them, Damon comes up to me and gives me his pen.

"Our new life is waiting for us."

I sign those papers.

And never look back.

The only two things I see is the man in front of me and the future I plan to build together with him.

* * *

 **A/N: Cheating is bad and cheating is good, because it kind of always shows us the truth of everything around and inside. However, remember that there is always a chance that you may hurt not only others, but also yourself. Love is a strong force and I would never blame anyone without knowing their whole story (cheating doesn't always mean just sex), but never forget who you are and ask yourself daily if you want to continue living your life in this way. In the end, you always have a choice... believe in what you feel. :)**


End file.
